


A Date to Remember

by themysticalsong



Series: Tumblr Prompts [26]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Early Days, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 00:51:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2130852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themysticalsong/pseuds/themysticalsong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First dates can be so awkward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Date to Remember

 

 

 

 

"Quentin, are you sure this is the right way?"

 

He is nervous, his mind running a mile a minute. But admitting that on a first date-

 

"Huh? Oh yes. Yes. I have been here quite a lot of times", he corrects himself when she arches an eyebrow at him, a little flustered, a moment away from flailing, "this- this area I mean."

 

Dinah nods her head haltingly, not even barely convinced, “Um- but are you really sure  _this_ is the correct route, because I honestly think we have been going around in circles for past 25 minutes.”

 

"We have?" His eyes widen, "I mean- what? No." He emphatically shakes his head, "No. No. That is not possible."

 

Her other eyebrow also rises to meet the first one, as she indicates a board outside, “Well, you see that board?”

 

He looks where she is pointing and nods. It vaguely looks familiar. He might have seen it some time during patrol or some work. “Yeah, so?”

 

"We just passed that for the third time in half an hour."

 

_Oh._

 

Before he can press the brakes, the car itself jerks and comes to a sudden halt. He gives Dinah a nervous smile before trying to restart the car. The engine hisses and there is a vague sound of something breaking.

 

And then nothing.

 

Quentin curses his luck. He had been running around, trying his best to get things done in time so they could timely reach their reservation. He wanted to make an impression on her. Now it seemed impossible.

 

"Quentin?" He glances at Dinah, a small, reassuring smile gracing her lips, "Look, why don’t we do one thing- you check what’s wrong with the car, and I’ll sit on that rock there? It’s a bit cold, and we probably won’t be able to make it to the restaurant in time, but we can try, yeah?"

 

Without giving him time to respond, she gets out of the car, the flowers he had given her cradled close to her chest and sits on the big rock she had pointed out earlier. With a small laugh, Quentin follows her, moving to check the engines.

 

A groan escapes him when he looks at the engine, a puff of smoke spiraling out of it. There is no way he will be able to repair it himself. And they are most definitely missing their reservation.

 

"Thank you for the flowers, by the way. They are really beautiful."

 

He turns at her words. She is still looking at the flowers, her fingers softly stroking the petals and a soft smile on her face. On a cold, dreary night, the sight warms him inside. He hopes he gets to make up to her for the disaster that the night has been.

 

The engine makes a noise, startling the pair, before another puff of smoke spirals out. Quentin wordlessly curses his car, his luck- everything. He groans and plops down on the rock next to the one on which Dinah sits. “I don’t know what’s happening tonight. Everything is just-“

 

"Quentin." He looks up. Even through his nervous state, he had noticed earlier how glorious she looked in that simple red dress. The loose curls only seemed to accentuate her natural beauty. But like this- the chilly breeze playing with her curls and the red tinge of the setting sun reflected in her eyes- she looks nothing short of an angel. He thinks he is in love.

 

But something is amiss.

 

"Where are your flowers?"

 

Dinah bites her lip. He waits for the answer, the feeling of something wrong niggling in his mind. She doesn’t say anything; only indicates with her eyes. He follows her gaze, immediately jumping up.

 

"Shit! God! I’m so sorry, Di. Such a klutz." He continues to stutter apologies, but she stops him with a gentle hand on his arm, her touch soft; warm, and something undefinable. Something he can’t quite put his finger on, but it calms him, filling him with an excited energy at the same time. He gives her an apologetic smile. "I’m sorry, Di. I’m sorry this has been such a disaster."

 

She laughs again, a sound that he finds he is falling in love with, “I think it’s safe to assume we are missing our reservation.” He nods, and she continues, “There is a small park not far from here. It’s getting cold, and I’m hungry. May be we can buy something from one of the coffee shops and then sit at the park? I can promise you it’s going to be a lot better than a dinner at some upscale restaurant.”

 

At this moment, he is sure he would have agreed to go to the moon with her, let alone going to a park. He lets out a soft laugh and nods in agreement.

 

He looks at the now limp flowers as he stands. Sighing he makes to throw them, but Dinah stops him. She takes the flowers as gently as possible from him and cradles them close.

 

He glances around for his jacket. He had taken it off sometime while checking the engines and wires of his car. He smiles as he spots Dinah shrug it on. “Looks good on you.”

 

She frowns in confusion before looking down. “Oops?”

 

He chuckles, offering her his arm. Instead of taking his arm, she grabs his hand, interlacing their fingers. Walking down to the coffee shop with her hand in his- it feels natural. Like a memory straight from their future. A shared future. It’s a bit too early to think so, but when she just throws her head back and laughs after he spills cocoa on her dress, he falls a bit further in love with her.

 

The evening sky is still red, the sun about to slip down the horizon when they reach the park. Ignoring all the benches, Dinah directs them to a grassy patch near flower beds. Her dress, his jacket suit- there will be stains. But he doesn’t care. He follows her suit as she sits down, her legs out.

 

He observes her quietly as she plucks few flowers, picks up the one that had fallen down, and begins to braid them together. A strange content feeling steals over him as he watches the last few rays of the setting sun illuminate her hair.

 

Their date so far has been a disaster. He had tried his best to be on time. They missed their reservation, nevertheless. He had selected each and every flower of that bouquet carefully, and now it is nothing more than a bunch of limp flowers.

 

"I am really sorry for ruining your evening, Dinah. I wanted today to be so perfect, and all I managed to do was to prove how wrong things can go with me around. I-"

 

"Hush", she waves her hand, and gently places the flower crown on his head. She gives him a shy look, biting her lip before pecking him on the cheek, "It was perfect. I can’t think of a better first date."

 

Fighting against the blush rising in his cheeks, Quentin straightens his collar, and grins at Dinah, “How do I look?”

 

"Very pretty." He gapes as she dissolves into giggles, pecking him on the cheek again. He tries not to acknowledge how his heart skips a beat when she leans the tiniest bit into him while sharing a pizza at the small cafe across the street.

 

Afterwards, he walks her to her home. It’s not more than a few blocks away from the park, and she protests. But he insists, linking their hands.

 

His heart jumps and somersaults in his chest when she quietly strokes his thumb with hers, twining their fingers together.

 

"I’m sorry tonight was such a disaster, Di-"

 

She doesn’t allow him to complete his sentence. She shakes her head, smiling up at him as they come to a halt in front of her apartment building, “I told you, it wasn’t. Tonight was perfect.”

 

A vague hope spirals, spreading its cheerful tendrils inside his heart. “It was?” Dinah grins, nodding wordlessly.

 

He beams at her, “I enjoyed it too. Thank you for coming with me, Di- Wait”, a thought occurs, and his eyes widen, “I can call you ‘Di’, right? You don’t have problems with it, do you?”

 

"You are asking now? After an entire evening spent calling me ‘Di’?" He nervously looks at her, and she lets out a soft laugh, "I don’t mind it. I like the way it sounds."

 

"I’m glad. At least some thing that didn’t go horribly wrong."

 

"Quentin-"

 

He smiles sheepishly, a bit hesitant, “May be we could go out on another date some time?”

 

Dinah bites her lip against a smile, and he tries not to fidget when her eyes scan his face. She slowly nods, “I’d love to.”

 

Quentin tries not to let his elation show, launching into another apology session instead. Dinah rolls her eyes fondly. Resting her palm on his arm, she leans up on her toes and brushes her lips against his cheek, “Good night, Quentin.”

 

"Good-"

 

”WHAT? NO KISS? YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE IT LIKE THAT!”

 

The sudden and loud interruption startles the pair. Quentin quickly looks around for the culprit, his face a fierce shade of pink.

 

"Sorry Al!" Dinah hollers back. Quentin follows her gaze to find an elderly man standing in one of the windows of the building across the street. He looks back at Dinah, who only grins and shrugs. "Sorry, Al is always like that. Too many romance novels and movies."

 

"I don’t m-"

 

"You don’t-"

 

Both speak at the same time. Quentin laughs, “It’s okay. I don’t really mind.” He quickly realises what he just said when Dinah arches an eyebrow at him, “I mean- if it’s okay with you.”

 

Dinah bites her lip, a teasing smile playing across her features, her eyes glinting with just a hint of mischief. Encouraged, Quentin leans a bit closer, brushing his lips against hers in a soft kiss.

 

He cups her face between his hands, his lips pressing against hers in a gentle, yet firm pressure. The kiss is only meant as a greeting- a sign of affection; a hint of things to come. All conscious thoughts flee his mind the moment she sighs into the kiss, and he takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss, twining their tongues together.

 

He can almost feel her fingers curls into the sides of his shirt, her nail scraping against his fabric covered skin. Against the urge to go further, Quentin pulls back, panting, and rests his forehead against hers. His fingers move lower, finding their purchase on the lapels of his own jacket that she had nicked hours back. He tugs at them lightly, laughing when Dinah lets out a startled laugh.

 

"Can I see you again?"

 

"I believe I already said ‘Yes’."

 

He laughs, softly brushing his lips against hers once again, before turning back, “Was that okay, Al?”

 

Dinah hides her giggles against his shoulder, and he grins.

 

May be their first date wasn’t that bad, after all.

 

 

 


End file.
